2017-18 State of U.S. Men's Figure Skating

[Mrs. P]

No problem. Nathan has got his first Olympics jitters out of the way before the individual competition starts, and by at least holding on to fourth, with the worst short program he has ever skated, he has not hurt USA's prospects for a team medal, thanks in part to Scemica-Knierim & Knierim's respectable skate.

In the LP, Adam, sans the 4Lz << , can sit back and rack up the slay count as the quadsters stumble and bumble and crumble one by one.

And hey Nathan did do the first 4F in the Olympics, so nobody can take that away from him.

 

[ice coverage]

An endearing (IMO) anecdote re Vincent, from Mirai's Instagram story (the hashtags are my own ).

As the gang of U.S. skaters was happily getting ready for the Opening Ceremony, Vincent (still in his white Nike jacket) realized that he accidentally had put his OC uniform in luggage that already had been sent to Chuncheon (where the USFS alternate training site is located). #HateWhenThatHappens #OlympianProblems

The good news is that Mirai soon gave an update that Vincent was able to borrow a uniform, and she showed him all decked out along with other team-mates. :yay: #Whew #All'sWellThatEndsWell

Vincent (whom I already liked) strikes me as quite methodical in general, so it was endearing to me that even he is not immune from minor human error.

Glad that everything worked out for him, and that all the U.S. skaters appeared to have a blast at OC. ​

ETA:

Mirai later has been tweeting some of the video previously seen on her Instagram Story.
Vincent's averted-disaster is seen/narrated within the first forty seconds of this tweet:

https://twitter.com/mirai_nagasu/status/962135378030346240 (Feb 9)​

p.s. Turns out that not quite "all" were at the OC. The Shibs eventually posted that they opted not to march.
But they did appear to have a blast putting on their OC uniforms on the day and taking some nice photos. ​

---

Nothing that we know gives me the impression that USFS or any U.S. skater is not taking the 2018 OWG team event seriously.

... Meryl and Charlie skated *both* the team SD and FD in Sochi. ... It didn’t seem to hurt their individual medal chances, taking the team event seriously enough to skate both events. ...

... Meryl and Charlie had been to an Olympics in 2010. They'd been preparing for Sochi since they got down from their Oly silver medal podium. ...

In addition to D/W having the benefit of 2010 OWG experience, another reason that it is impossible to make an apples-to-apples comparison btwn D/W in 2014 and Nathan in 2018 is the OWG timetable for different disciplines.

In 2014, the team FD was on Feb 9, and the individual SD was on Feb 16.

In 2018, the team men's FS is on Feb 12, and the individual men's SP is on Feb 16.

I also would mention that in 2014, the only men who skated both the team SP and team FS were from countries that had no other choice -- because of only one entry in the individual men's discipline.
(Plushenko for Russia -- who incidentally (or not) later had to withdraw from the individual men's SP -- and Paul Parkinson for Italy.)

Canada, Japan, and the U.S. each divided the 2014 team event btwn two men.

 

[Feline Feeder]

You know, I can't stand Adam Rippon. He came in fourth, but he bumped one National medalist from the team and another from a chance at a team medal, without, in my opinion, incredible results to back this up. Yes, he made the GPF, but he didn't medal as Ashley did four years ago. He doesn't seem particularly grateful that the powers that be did this for them, but like he's entitled and expected it.

He seems to want to project a very over-the-top, egotistical image (calling the Nationals his "coronation," for example. Yeah, right.) When some little movie popped up on the computer about how well he dresses now that he doesn't try to dress like a straight man (his words, more or less), I clicked on the little x. I forget where this small video was, perhaps the NBC site, if you want to see it.

However--if he brings it tomorrow and skates clean, I will take it all back and post a loving tribute to him on his fan fest. It's really all up to him now. Go Adam!

 

[LadyB]

Y

However--if he brings it tomorrow and skates clean, I will take it all back and post a loving tribute to him on his fan fest. It's really all up to him now. Go Adam!

All down to him? What is? The US standing in the team event?
Nothing to do with Nathan Chen not delivering what a lot of people thought he would? How will the girls be doing???? Are the Shibs really still right up there? Can the Knierims shine a second time?

No worries, I love the Knierims and I think the Shibs are world class, but have a fair asssessment of a man who had a great first half of this season.
Don't bother with the loving tribute, he doesn't need that from doubters. Another thing that makes him great :cool2:

 

[concorde]

Adam Rippon. He came in fourth, but he bumped one National medalist from the team and another from a chance at a team medal, without, in my opinion, incredible results to back this up. Yes, he made the GPF, but he didn't medal as Ashley did four years ago. He doesn't seem particularly grateful that the powers that be did this for them, but like he's entitled and expected it.

I have been an Adam fan for a very long time but I agree with the above comments on Adam' s bahavior as of late.

 

[littlesnow]

You know, I can't stand Adam Rippon. He came in fourth, but he bumped one National medalist from the team and another from a chance at a team medal, without, in my opinion, incredible results to back this up. Yes, he made the GPF, but he didn't medal as Ashley did four years ago. He doesn't seem particularly grateful that the powers that be did this for them, but like he's entitled and expected it.

Agree with that! Not a fan of his skating either.

 

[StereoLove]

I don't remember where I saw it, but someone made a post about Nathan's lack of personality/charisma (don't remember the exact word). Would another poster know what I'm referring to? It may have been article, but I can't seem to find it.

 

[el henry]

I don't remember where I saw it, but someone made a post about Nathan's lack of personality/charisma (don't remember the exact word). Would another poster know what I'm referring to? It may have been article, but I can't seem to find it.

Well I certainly have made such posts over the years, but they have not risen to the level of articles and I don’t think they were particularly memorable, and I don’t think I’m the only one

I will give Nathan props, he has improved his performance skills. Are they currently as good as Jason’s or Toller’s performance skills? No. But I will always be one to encourage the effort:agree:

 

[livetoskate]

Well, I actually laughed a little when I first saw that Instagram(?) story where Adam talks about his disappointment about the condoms in the Olympic Village. But after pondering it a little more, I think it was trashy and not Olympic athlete-like to be spouting off about condoms like that. Can you imagine Nathan, Vincent or any other competitor going off (even jokingly) about condoms not having Olympic rings on them? How about some dignity here?

 

[shine]

Well I certainly have made such posts over the years, but they have not risen to the level of articles and I don’t think they were particularly memorable, and I don’t think I’m the only one

I will give Nathan props, he has improved his performance skills. Are they currently as good as Jason’s or Toller’s performance skills? No. But I will always be one to encourage the effort:agree:

Frankly I don’t think he needs it. There are a ton of people who find his performances charismatic. Just refer to comments under these videos, for example. https://youtu.be/8IWrJOhUVl0
https://youtu.be/uUCI0Cxtge4
Sure, he doesn’t perform the same way as Jason, but neither can I see Jason do a piece like this the way Nathan does it. Just because he doesn’t skate in a style which you prefer, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have great performance skills which resonate with others.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

nm

 

[KwanIsALegend]

nm

 

[Rissa]

Well, I actually laughed a little when I first saw that Instagram(?) story where Adam talks about his disappointment about the condoms in the Olympic Village. But after pondering it a little more, I think it was trashy and not Olympic athlete-like to be spouting off about condoms like that. Can you imagine Nathan, Vincent or any other competitor going off (even jokingly) about condoms not having Olympic rings on them? How about some dignity here?

Oh please, how puritanical can we be? Those Olympic condoms were in the papers, on TV, and all over the internent. And not for the first time either - last time the logo-ed Olympic condoms were funny/cool souvenir. You'd think most of us are adult enough to handle a 28 year old dude making a joke about them...

 

[KwanIsALegend]

Deleted

 

[musicfan80]

I don't remember where I saw it, but someone made a post about Nathan's lack of personality/charisma (don't remember the exact word). Would another poster know what I'm referring to? It may have been article, but I can't seem to find it.

I think the fluff piece the NBC did on Nathan before the Team Event SP didn't help. I don't think they showed anything about his personality or him as a person - and his family wasn't really shown AT ALL.

It's almost like NBC has forgotten the appeal of Shaun White and Apolo Anton Ohno - yes, they were awesome and won gold medals, but they were COOL DUDES. :yes:

 

[StereoLove]

Frankly I don’t think he needs it. There are a ton of people who find his performances charismatic. Just refer to comments under these videos, for example. https://youtu.be/8IWrJOhUVl0
https://youtu.be/uUCI0Cxtge4
Sure, he doesn’t perform the same way as Jason, but neither can I see Jason do a piece like this the way Nathan does it. Just because he doesn’t skate in a style which you prefer, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have great performance skills which resonate with others.

Oh, I remembered one more thing. It had to do with his marketability.

 

[evasorange]

Honestly Nathan just seems like a cool chill dude who has a super quick mind but not super quick to speak it if that makes sense? He’s a really good counter to Adams increasingly outsized personality. Also I follow Nathan on Instagram and sometimes I see him like basketball clips of like players being snarky or crazy dunks on house of highlights account and I have to say it’s really endearing also a big YES to the Apolo Ohno comment-God do I miss him at the Olympics

 

[yyyskate]

At least Nathan is very sexy, hot, handsome, good looking, charming..... the words can go on forever.:luv17:
Just check out all his photos on NBC website or elsewhere, Every young girls/ladies is drooling over him right now. that is not to take away his figure skating artistry tho.

 

[noskates]

Honestly Nathan just seems like a cool chill dude who has a super quick mind but not super quick to speak it if that makes sense? He’s a really good counter to Adams increasingly outsized personality. Also I follow Nathan on Instagram and sometimes I see him like basketball clips of like players being snarky or crazy dunks on house of highlights account and I have to say it’s really endearing also a big YES to the Apolo Ohno comment-God do I miss him at the Olympics

Totally agree. This is also a young man that has literally been thrown into a very large spotlight when all he probably wants to do is concentrate on skating at the Olympics. The press is relentless and it must get old answering the same questions day after day after day. Personally I think his personality is much more endearing than Vincent Zhou - who is devoid of personality as far as I can see. I talked to him at the Sunday night friends of figure skating party and............uhhhhh............he was obviously uncomfortable in a social situation and spoke in monosyllables. I don't think we can expect all things from these skaters....just saying.

 

[yyyskate]

I would not pit Vince against Nate so quickly.

I love them both.

Two loverly, insanely handsome young men with different yet interesting personalities.

EDIT: According to my personal interaction with Vince, he is very easy to talk to and very intelligent and articulate, I thoroughly enjoyed (and to some degree surprised and honored) my little chat with him.